Aboriginal and Workers of Colour

The trade union movement was built by the struggles of working people -- including Indigenous and racialized workers.

Unifor advocates for these workers, and encourages their full participation in union life through local union committees, regional council committees and the Aboriginal and Racialized Workers' Caucus. Unifor also holds national and regional Aboriginal and Racialized Workers conferences.

Orange Shirt Day

Locals are encouraged to host events or to join community events marking September 30. Orange Shirt Day is an opportunity to unite with First Nations, governments, schools and communities to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope.

Unifor recognizes that to move toward recognition and reconciliation, Indigenous children must know that they are loved and valued. Download this poster (PDF) and share the message below to spread the message of support.

October 4. National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

On October 4th, Unifor asks it members and allies to stand in solidarity with Indigenous families and communities to honour the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls whose lives have been cut short by violence.

Unifor encourages every person in Canada to support the awareness-raising activities of the Native Women’s Association of Canada on October 4 by creating and sharing messages of support. Once the messages are shared online, it is asked that the messages be combined on a display wall and a moment of silence held to honour the lives lost and those still living with the pain.

Locals can display their commitment to challenging the systemic violence that continues to target Indigenous women and girls by printing the, “Justice. Awareness. Respect.” poster and shareable below.

National Aboriginal Day

Unifor is committed to challenging colonialism and working towards reconciliation. On this, National Aboriginal Day, Unifor calls on the federal government to take real, measureable actions towards reconciling our past with our future. Supportive words alone are inadequate. The federal government must immediately provide equal funding for on-reserve child welfare systems and end the discrimination against Indigenous children. Read the full statement.